Top five family adventures on
Northern Vancouver Island

Depending on your mood, your available time, and the size of your family, there's a little something for everyone on Northern Vancouver Island. From quiet walks through the woods, to racing cars on blacktop, these top five family adventures are just a small sample of the variety of options for family fun on the island.

1) Elk Falls Provincial Park & Suspension Bridge Located a few minutes north of Campbell River, the new Elk Falls Suspension Bridge can be easily reached by a short hike from the parking lot through a shaded forest. Suspended over a river canyon, the bridge sways and moves which makes the experience exciting and unique. Stop on the viewing platforms to take in all the sights (and some great photos). Visit www.campbellriver.travel for directions and more info.	Elk Falls Suspension Bridge: Genevieve Freeman
2) Horne Lake Caves & Outdoor Centre Looking to escape from the intense summer heat for a few hours? Horne Lake Caves offers Vancouver Island's 'coolest' outdoor adventures. With subterranean tours and rappelling expeditions inside a network of caves, coupled with nature-based exploration activities at the Outdoor Centre, there's something for everyone at this Vancouver Island gem. Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park is located only 25 minutes south of the Comox Valley. www.hornelake.com	Horne Lake caves: Rebecca Coleman
3) Telegraph Cove Spend a day kayaking or whale and wildlife watching with the family on Northern Vancouver Island. This tiny community (pop. 20) is a former telegraph station and fishing and cannery village that has become an eco-tourism resort hotspot. Telegraph Cove Marina & RV Park has camping, moorage, a café, and a Whale Interpretive Centre - a wildlife museum housing the skeletons of many whale species and local marine and land animals. With its remote location and natural surroundings, this is a beautiful spot for an adventure! www.hellobc.com	Telegraph Cove: Courtesy of Telegraph Cove Resort
4) Fast Time Grand Prix Parksville The new little go-kart track in Parksville is FUN! The ½ km, 35-turn course is laid out like a formula one racetrack with European designed karts. Once buckled in, you're sitting inches off the ground and off to the races! A race computer records each lap, posts track conditions and lap times, and prints out race results afterwards (for bragging rights, of course.) * Bonus: The full-face helmets have action camera mounts attached if you have your own GoPro and want to record your race. www.fasttimegrandprix.ca	Fast Time Grand Prix: Eugene Chung
5) Long Beach, Tofino Rain or shine, the waves rolling in on Long Beach in Tofino is always a beautiful backdrop for a West Coast adventure. With its long stretch of sandy beach, there's a lot to discover while beachcombing or just admire an amazing horizon that stretches to infinity. The sand is perfect for building sandcastles that will inevitably get demolished with the rolling waves of the rising tide. If you're lucky, you may spot a pod of Harbour Porpoises or the occasional breaching whale. Though the water is fairly cold year-round, it is swimmable. And for thrill seekers, Long Beach is known as a Canadian surfing paradise! www.tourismtofino.com	Long Beach: Eugene Chung